Broccoli hybrid RS05151611 and parents thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a broccoli plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another broccoli plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Appl. Ser. No.61/572,310, filed Jul. 22, 2011, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 and theparent broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a broccoli plant of thehybrid designated RS05151611 the broccoli line BRE51-1160SC or broccoliline BRE-51-22 SI. Also provided are broccoli plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these broccoli plants are also provided, for example, includingpollen, an ovule, a floret, a head, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of broccoli hybridRS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SIcomprising an added heritable trait is provided. The heritable trait maycomprise a genetic locus that is, for example, a dominant or recessiveallele. In one embodiment of the invention, a plant of broccoli hybridRS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI isdefined as comprising a single locus conversion. In specific embodimentsof the invention, an added genetic locus confers one or more traits suchas, for example, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, diseaseresistance, and modified carbohydrate metabolism. In furtherembodiments, the trait may be conferred by a naturally occurring geneintroduced into the genome of a line by backcrossing, a natural orinduced mutation, or a transgene introduced through genetictransformation techniques into the plant or a progenitor of any previousgeneration thereof. When introduced through transformation, a geneticlocus may comprise one or more genes integrated at a single chromosomallocation.

The invention also concerns the seed of broccoli hybrid RS05151611and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI. The broccoli seedof the invention may be provided, in particular embodiments, as anessentially homogeneous population of broccoli seed of broccoli hybridRS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI.Essentially homogeneous populations of seed are generally free fromsubstantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, seed of hybrid RS05151611and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI may be provided, incertain embodiments of the invention, as forming at least about 97% ofthe total seed, including at least about 98%, 99% or more of the seed.The seed population may be separately grown to provide an essentiallyhomogeneous population of broccoli plants designated RS05151611 and/orbroccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a broccoli plant of hybrid RS05151611 and/or broccoli linesBRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating broccoli plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid RS05151611and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI include those traitsset forth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissuecultures may be derived, for example, from embryos, meristems,cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers,seed and stalks. Still further, the present invention provides broccoliplants regenerated from a tissue culture of the invention, the plantshaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybridRS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing broccoli seeds, plants and parts thereof, which processesgenerally comprise crossing a first parent broccoli plant with a secondparent broccoli plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent broccoli plants is a plant of broccoli line BRE51-1160SC orbroccoli line BRE-51-22 SI. These processes may be further exemplifiedas processes for preparing hybrid broccoli seed or plants, wherein afirst broccoli plant is crossed with a second broccoli plant of adifferent, distinct genotype to provide a hybrid that has, as one of itsparents, a plant of broccoli line BRE51-1160SC or broccoli lineBRE-51-22 SI. In these processes, crossing will result in the productionof seed. The seed production occurs regardless of whether the seed iscollected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent broccoli plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent broccoli plants into plants that bear flowers. A thirdstep may comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent broccoli plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent broccoli plants.The harvested seed can be grown to produce a broccoli plant or hybridbroccoli plant.

The present invention also provides the broccoli seeds and plantsproduced by a process that comprises crossing a first parent broccoliplant with a second parent broccoli plant, wherein at least one of thefirst or second parent broccoli plants is a plant of broccoli hybridRS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI. In oneembodiment of the invention, broccoli seed and plants produced by theprocess are first generation (F₁) hybrid broccoli seed and plantsproduced by crossing a plant in accordance with the invention withanother, distinct plant. The present invention further contemplatesplant parts of such an F₁ hybrid broccoli plant, and methods of usethereof. Therefore, certain exemplary embodiments of the inventionprovide an F₁ hybrid broccoli plant and seed thereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid RS05151611 and/or broccoli linesBRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid RS05151611 and/or broccolilines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid RS05151611 and/or broccoli linesBRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI with a second plant; and (b) crossing theprogeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce a seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation. In further embodiments, themethod may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of asubsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generationwith itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid RS05151611and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI. The plant derivedfrom hybrid RS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22SI may be an inbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing stepsmay be defined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbredline. In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plantsresulting from step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b)and (c). By selecting plants having one or more desirable traits, aplant derived from hybrid RS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SCand BRE-51-22 SI is obtained which possesses some of the desirabletraits of the line/hybrid as well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of broccolihybrid RS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI,wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collectingtissue of the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement ofbroccoli hybrid RS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC andBRE-51-22 SI is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used torefer to the aggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of whichsequences defines the phenotype of, in the present case, a broccoliplant, or a cell or tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thusrepresents the genetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybridgenetic complement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell,tissue or plant. The invention thus provides broccoli plant cells thathave a genetic complement in accordance with the broccoli plant cellsdisclosed herein, and plants, seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid RS05151611 and/or broccoli linesBRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI could be identified by any of the manywell known techniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence LengthPolymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 18:6531-6535, 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNAAmplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized AmplifiedRegions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR),Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science,280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by broccoli plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a broccoli plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second broccoli plant, preferably, another, distinctbroccoli plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides abroccoli plant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybridgenetic complement of this invention.

In still yet another aspect, the invention provides a method ofdetermining the genotype of a plant of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 and/orbroccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI comprising detecting in thegenome of the plant at least a first polymorphism. The method may, incertain embodiments, comprise detecting a plurality of polymorphisms inthe genome of the plant. The method may further comprise storing theresults of the step of detecting the plurality of polymorphisms on acomputer readable medium. The invention further provides a computerreadable medium produced by such a method.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 and/or broccolilines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI. The hybrid RS05151611 was producedby the cross of parent lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI. The parentlines show uniformity and stability within the limits of environmentalinfluence. By crossing the parent lines, uniform plants of hybridRS05151611 can be obtained.

A. ORIGIN AND BREEDING HISTORY OF BROCCOLI HYBRID RS05151611

The parents of hybrid RS05151611 are BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI.RS05151611 is adapted to the same locations and conditions as normalbroccoli. Hybrid RS05151611 is intermediate between broccoli parentsBRE-51-22B and BRE51-1160SC for flower bud size, side shoot stemdiameter, and flavor. This hybrid is relatively tall and begins to forma loose main head at the apical meristem in 70-75 days fromtransplanting during spring in coastal California. The flower buds arerather large and have pronounced sepals. The main head is generallyremoved when it is 3-5 cm in diameter to force the axillary buds at theleaf bases to elongate forming a 12-22 cm spear with a small cluster ofunopened flower buds (1-3 cm) which is harvested for consumption eitherfresh or cooked like normal broccoli. The stems are tender and somewhatmore mild flavor then florets from a crown broccoli such as Heritage.

BRE51-1160SC originated as a selection from a product sold in Brazil byHorticeres Ltd. The original stock seed were variable for plant vigor,maturity, and flower sepal size/bead size. Lot 22316 was chosen andgrown in at the Arroyo Grande Research Station during winter 2003/2004as plot number 271. Four single plants from Lot 22316 (S1 Population)labeled as P:2223-271-1, -2, -3 and -4 were selected for having the mostslender stemmed axillary side shoots, the smallest sepals and thesmaller flower buds. These S2 progeny were grown out (24 plants each)during 2004/2005 and observed for uniformity with special attention tothe traits of stem size, sepal size and flower bud size. These same fourselections were grown out a second time during summer 2005. Based onobservations from both of these progeny grow outs, P:2223-271-1 S2 wasselected as having the most desirable, uniform, and stable traits.Twelve plants of P:2223-271-1 S2 were grown in pots in the AGRSgreenhouse during winter 2005/2006. Plants were observed and selectedfor uniform phenotype. The remaining plants were pollinated by hand withbulked pollen from each plant to produce a mass pollinated sourcelabeled P:2536-101. This bulk seed source was grown out in purity trialat AGRS during winter 2006/2007 to check for purity and uniformity. Itwas also used to produce the hybrid SVR 0515 1611 and handed off toFoundation seed in summer 2006 as the breeder source for BRE51-1160SC.

BRE-51-22S1 was a broccoli inbred parent purchased by Petoseed Co. inthe late 1970's. 25 plants were used as a breeder source for increase.Each plant was self pollinated and bud pollinated. Four plant dialleleswere conducted to confirm strong expression of the SI trait by countingseed in open flower selves and the open flower dialleles. The standardwas set at less than 0.5 seeds per pod. Seed produced from individualplants with the appropriate phenotype and SI expression from the bestfour plant dialleles were bulked and then used as a breeder source forFoundation Seed. The bulk source was named BRE-51-22 SI. It waspreviously used in the broccoli hybrid sold by Petoseed named“Brigadier”.

B. PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BROCCOLI HYBRIDRS05151611, BROCCOLI LINE BRE51-1160SC AND BROCCOLI LINE BRE-51-22 SI

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 and the parent linesthereof. A description of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of such plants is presented in Tables 1-2.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of HybridRS05151611 Characteristic RS05151611 SVR 1 Sibsey A Region of Adaptationpacific coast pacific coast B Maturity, Spring Planted days from directseeding to 50% 117 111 harvest sowing date 2-Apr-10 2-Apr-10 50% harvestdate 28-Jul-10 22-Jul-10 days from transplanting to 50%  70  64 harvesttransplant date 19-May-10 19-May-10 length of harvest period in days  1 1 first harvest date 28-Jul-10 22-Jul-10 last harvest date 28-Jul-1022-Jul-10 harvest season (main crop at spring/summer spring/summer 50%harvest) time of harvest maturity (50% medium medium of plants) time ofbeginning of flowering medium medium (50% of plants with at least 10%flowers) **choice for UPOV TG only C Seedling cotyledon color mediumgreen medium green RHS color chart value for 138A 138A seedlingcotyledon color cotyledon anthocyanin absent absent hypocotylanthocyanin weak weak D Plant plant height in centimeters from 66.7 cm55.3 cm soil line to top of leaves head height in centimeters from 52 cm62.4 cm soil line to top of leaves height at harvest maturity tall(Citation) medium number of stems one one branches few few habitspreading intermediate market class fresh market fresh market life cycleannual annual type of variety first generation hybrid first generationhybrid E Leaves outer leaves: number of leaves  11  20.15 per plant (atharvest) outer leaves: width (at 15.45 cm 13.85 cm midpoint of plantincluding petiole) leaf: width medium (Buccaneer, medium Green Belt)outer leaves: length (at 55.85 cm 36.5 cm midpoint of plant includingpetiole) leaf: length (including petiole) long (Green Duke, Laser) longouter leaves: petiole length 24.25 cm 14 cm petiole: length long (GroeneCalabrese, long Premium Crop) outer leaves: leaf ratio - 4:1 6:1length/width outer leaves: leaf attachment petiolate petiolate outerleaves: wax presence strong strong leaf: number of lobes few (EarlyWhite medium Sprouting) outer leaves: foliage color medium green greygreen (with wax, if present) outer leaves: foliage color 137A 139A (withwax, if present; RHS color chart value) leaf blade: color green(Claudia, Verflor) green leaf blade: intensity of color medium mediumleaf blade: anthocyanin absent (Claudia, absent coloration Embassy) leafblade: undulation of margin medium (Citation) medium leaf blade:dentation of margin weak (Galaxy) medium outer leaves: leaf shape narrowelliptic elliptic outer leaves: leaf base blunt blunt outer leaves: leafapex blunt blunt outer leaves: leaf margins very wavy slightly wavyouter leaves: leaf veins intermediate intermediate outer leaves: midribraised slightly raised leaf blade: blistering absent or very weak weak(Buccaneer, Colibri) petiole: anthocyanin coloration absent (Claudia,absent of leaf petiole Embassy) outer leaves: attitude (leaf erect(80-100 degrees) semi-erect angle from ground) leaf: attitude (atbeginning of semi-erect (Arcadia, semi-erect head formation) Asti,Civet, Claudia) outer leaves: torsion of leaf tip intermediate noneouter leaves: profile of upper planar concave side of leaf F Head lengthof branching at base long (Laser, Kayak) short (excluding stem) diameterat widest point (at 17.6 cm 15 cm market maturity) depth (at marketmaturity) 15 cm 7.8 cm weight, market trimmed (at 223.4 gm 301 gm marketmaturity) color medium green (Idol, grey green Verflor) intensity ofcolor medium medium RHS color chart value for head N138C 139A coloranthocyanin coloration present absent shape (at market maturity)transverse elliptic circular (Buccaneer, Futura) dome shape (at marketdomed deep domed maturity) size (at market maturity) for US large**(Caravel, small Exhibit C only **choice Mercedes, Packman)compactness/firmness (at long pedicels/loose short pedicels/tight/market maturity) (Caravel) firm surface knobbling (at market coarse(Perseus, Regilio) fine maturity) texture coarse (Citation) very finebead size (at market maturity) large small flower buds (at market evenin size even in size maturity) anthocyanin coloration of leaf absentabsent axils (at market maturity) anthocyanin coloration of leaf absentabsent veins (at market maturity) anthocyanin coloration of leaf absentabsent blade (at market maturity) anthocyanin coloration of entireabsent absent plant (at market maturity) anthocyanin coloration of leafabsent absent petiole (at market maturity) color of head leaves (atmarket green green maturity) RHS color chart value for the 137A 139Acolor of head leaves bracts absent (Gem, Orion) absent secondary heads(at market axillary along entire axillary along entire maturity) mainstem up to main main stem up to main head head prominence of secondaryheads strong (Marathon, strong (at market maturity) Tribute) number ofsecondary heads (at  10.55  7.2 market maturity) G Flower Color **choicefor UPOV TG yellow** (Brigadeer, yellow only Orion) intensity of yellowcolor medium (Capitol, medium Corvet) color 5B 2A stalk color greengreen RHS color chart value for 138A 139A flower stalk color malesterility absent (Marathon) absent *These are typical values. Values mayvary due to environment. Other values that are substantially equivalentare also within the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of LineBRE51-1160SC Characteristic BRE51-1160SC SVR 1 Sibsey A Region ofAdaptation pacific coast pacific coast B Maturity, Spring Planted daysfrom direct seeding to 50% 111 111 harvest sowing date 2-Apr-10 2-Apr-1050% harvest date 22-Jul-10 22-Jul-10 days from transplanting to 50%  64 64 harvest transplant date 19-May-10 19-May-10 length of harvest periodin days  1  1 first harvest date 22-Jul-10 22-Jul-10 last harvest date22-Jul-10 22-Jul-10 harvest season (main crop at spring/summerspring/summer 50% harvest) time of harvest maturity (50% medium(Sumosun) medium of plants) time of beginning of flowering medium earlymedium (50% of plants with at least 10% flowers) **choice for UPOV TGonly C Seedling cotyledon color medium green medium green RHS colorchart value for 138A 138A seedling cotyledon color cotyledon anthocyaninabsent absent hypocotyl anthocyanin absent weak D Plant plant height incentimeters from 51.6 cm 55.3 cm soil line to top of leaves head heightin centimeters from 67.6 cm 62.4 cm soil line to top of leaves height atharvest maturity tall (Citation) medium number of stems one one branchesfew few habit intermediate intermediate market class fresh market freshmarket life cycle annual annual type of variety inbred first generationhybrid E Leaves outer leaves: number of leaves  17  20.15 per plant (atharvest) outer leaves: width (at 10.3 cm 13.85 cm midpoint of plantincluding petiole) leaf: width narrow (Arcadia, medium Brigadeer) outerleaves: length (at 36.6 cm 36.5 cm midpoint of plant including petiole)leaf: length (including petiole) long (Green Duke, Laser) long outerleaves: petiole length 17.55 cm 14 cm petiole: length long (GroeneCalabrese, long Premium Crop) outer leaves: leaf ratio - 5:1 6:1length/width outer leaves: leaf attachment petiolate petiolate outerleaves: wax presence strong strong leaf: number of lobes absent or veryfew medium (Viola, Violet Queen) outer leaves: foliage color grey greengrey green (with wax, if present) outer leaves: foliage color 139A 139A(with wax, if present; RHS color chart value) leaf blade: color green(Claudia, Verflor) green leaf blade: intensity of color medium mediumleaf blade: anthocyanin absent (Claudia, absent coloration Embassy) leafblade: undulation of margin medium (Citation) medium leaf blade:dentation of margin medium (Buccaneer) medium outer leaves: leaf shapenarrow elliptic elliptic outer leaves: leaf base blunt blunt outerleaves: leaf apex pointed blunt outer leaves: leaf margins slightly wavyslightly wavy outer leaves: leaf veins intermediate intermediate outerleaves: midrib slightly raised slightly raised leaf blade: blisteringweak (Coaster, Gem) weak petiole: anthocyanin coloration absent(Claudia, absent of leaf petiole Embassy) outer leaves: attitude (leaferect (80-100 degrees) semi-erect angle from ground) leaf: attitude (atbeginning of semi-erect (Arcadia, semi-erect head formation) Asti,Civet, Claudia) outer leaves: torsion of leaf tip weak none outerleaves: profile of upper planar concave side of leaf F Head length ofbranching at base very long (A Getti di short (excluding stem) Napoli)diameter at widest point (at 11.3 cm 15 cm market maturity) depth (atmarket maturity) 15.7 cm 7.8 cm weight, market trimmed (at 59.3 gm 301gm market maturity) color grey green (Brigadeer, grey green Galaxy)intensity of color medium medium RHS color chart value for head 139A139A color anthocyanin coloration absent (Early White absent Sprouting)shape (at market maturity) transverse elliptic narrow circular(Citation, Scorpio, Zeus) dome shape (at market domed deep domedmaturity) size (at market maturity) for US medium** (Dundee, smallExhibit C only **choice Early Man) compactness/firmness (at longpedicels/loose short pedicels/tight/ market maturity) (Caravel) firmsurface knobbling (at market coarse (Perseus, Regilio) fine maturity)texture very coarse (Earlyman) very fine bead size (at market maturity)large small flower buds (at market uneven in size (cateye) even in sizematurity) anthocyanin coloration of leaf absent absent axils (at marketmaturity) anthocyanin coloration of leaf absent absent veins (at marketmaturity) anthocyanin coloration of leaf absent absent blade (at marketmaturity) anthocyanin coloration of entire absent absent plant (atmarket maturity) anthocyanin coloration of leaf absent absent petiole(at market maturity) color of head leaves (at market green greenmaturity) RHS color chart value for the 139A 139A color of head leavesbracts absent (Gem, Orion) absent secondary heads (at market axillaryalong entire axillary along entire maturity) main stem up to main mainstem up to main head head prominence of secondary heads strong(Marathon, strong (at market maturity) Tribute) number of secondaryheads (at  9.1  7.2 market maturity) G Flower Color **choice for UPOV TGyellow** (Brigadeer, yellow only Orion) intensity of yellow color light(Brigadeer) medium color 4C 2A stalk color green green RHS color chartvalue for 139A 139A flower stalk color male sterility absent absent*These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Othervalues that are substantially equivalent are also within the scope ofthe invention.

C. BREEDING BROCCOLI PLANTS

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof broccoli hybrid RS05151611 involving crossing broccoli linesBRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI. Alternatively, in other embodiments ofthe invention, hybrid RS05151611, line BRE51-1160SC, or line BRE-51-22SI may be crossed with itself or with any second plant. Such methods canbe used for propagation of hybrid RS05151611 and/or the broccoli linesBRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI, or can be used to produce plants that arederived from hybrid RS05151611 and/or the broccoli lines BRE51-1160SCand BRE-51-22 SI. Plants derived from hybrid RS05151611 and/or thebroccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI may be used, in certainembodiments, for the development of new broccoli varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid RS05151611 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withRS05151611 and/or broccoli lines BRE51-1160SC and BRE-51-22 SI for thepurpose of developing novel broccoli lines, it will typically bepreferred to choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one ormore selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desiredcharacteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirabletraits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seedgermination, seedling vigor, high yield, disease tolerance orresistance, and adaptability for soil and climate conditions.Consumer-driven traits, such as a head shape, nutritional value, andtaste are other examples of traits that may be incorporated into newlines of broccoli plants developed by this invention.

D. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS

As described above, hybrid RS05151611 exhibits desirable agronomictraits. The performance characteristics of hybrid RS05151611 were thesubject of an objective analysis of the performance traits relative toother varieties. The results of the analysis are presented below.

TABLE 3 Performance Characteristics for RS05151611 and Selected VarietyNumber Stem Head # Trials Plant Side Diameter Stem Head Diameter BeadVariety Completed Vigor Shoots (mm) Trim Color (cm) Size FirmnessRS05151611 5 4.1 2.2 6.9 3.5 4.0 3.5 6.5 6.2 trial (9) Avg. FV = 4 4.81.4 8.7 4.9 8.7 3.2 5.6 5.7 Synergene trial Avg. Avg. yield Avg # CatBrown Avg wt per FINAL (3 cuts/ spears/ Days to Variety Eye Bead spear(g) RATING 3 reps) trial Harvest RS05151611 2.3 1.4 9.0 4.9 1796 114 98FV = 2.9 1.3 10.5 5.9 1294 62 104 Synergene *Based on scales asindicated

E. FURTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those broccoli plants which are developed by aplant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all ofthe morphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentalbroccoli plant which contributes the locus for the desiredcharacteristic is termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. Thisterminology refers to the fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used onetime in the backcross protocol and therefore does not recur. Theparental broccoli plant to which the locus or loci from the nonrecurrentparent are transferred is known as the recurrent parent as it is usedfor several rounds in the backcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a broccoli plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny broccoli plants of a backcross in which aplant described herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desiredtrait from the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of the recurrent parent as determinedat the 5% significance level when grown in the same environmentalconditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particulartraits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germline, such as represented here, with the end result being substantiallythe same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits.Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (PlantPhysiology, 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides amechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an eliteline. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traitsinto an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomicfragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the eliteline by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomicfragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In theembodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, forexample, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. Whenthis elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed withanother parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possibleto then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into thehybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as adisease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, eachlocus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may needto be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in thehybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined toconfer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of broccoli plants for breeding is not necessarily dependenton the phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

F. PLANTS DERIVED BY GENETIC ENGINEERING

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., Bio-Technology, 3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recenttechnological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Bio/Technology, 3:629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985; Omirulleh et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993; Fromm et al., Nature,312:791-793, 1986; Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986;Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988). Transformation of plants andexpression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(Plant Cell Rep., 13: 344-348, 1994), and Ellul et al. (Theor. Appl.Genet., 107:462-469, 2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985),including in monocots (see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591,1990; Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990); a tandemlyduplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35S promoter(P-e35S) the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., Plant Physiol.,88:547, 1988), the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., Plant Cell,1:977, 1989); and the figwort mosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter(P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem,the cauliflower mosaic virus 19S promoter, a sugarcane bacilliform viruspromoter, a commelina yellow mottle virus promoter, and other plant DNAvirus promoters known to express in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., PlantPhysiol., 88:965, 1988), (2) light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter,Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989; maize rbcS promoter,Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-bindingprotein promoter, Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985), (3) hormones,such as abscisic acid (Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989), (4)wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989); or (5)chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or Safener. It mayalso be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters (e.g., Roshal etal., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987; Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988;Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a broccoli plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a broccoli plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be acatalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desiredendogenous mRNA product (see for example, Gibson and Shillito, Mol.Biotech., 7:125, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNAwhich expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is usefulfor the practice of the present invention.

G. DEFINITIONS

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) color chart value: The RHS color chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightnessand saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS color chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number and letter, e.g., Yellow-OrangeGroup 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the desired morphological and physiological characteristics of abroccoli variety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of thesingle locus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing techniqueand/or by genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a broccoli plant by transformation.

H. DEPOSIT INFORMATION

A deposit of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 and line BRE51-1160SC, disclosedabove and recited in the claims, has been made with the American TypeCulture Collection (ATCC), 10801 University Blvd., Manassas, Va.20110-2209. The date of the deposits made was Jun. 20, 2011. Theaccession numbers for those deposited seeds of broccoli hybridRS05151611 and inbred parent line BRE51-1160SC are ATCC Accession NumberPTA-11943, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-11949, respectively. Uponissuance of a patent, all restrictions upon the deposits will beremoved, and the deposits are intended to meet all of the requirementsof 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. The deposits will be maintained in thedepository for a period of 30 years, or 5 years after the last request,or for the effective life of the patent, whichever is longer, and willbe replaced if necessary during that period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A broccoli plant comprising at least a first setof the chromosomes of broccoli line BRE51-1160SC, a sample of seed ofsaid line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11949.
 2. Aseed comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of broccoli lineBRE51-1160SC, a sample of seed of said line having been deposited underATCC Accession No. PTA-11949.
 3. The plant of claim 1, which is hybrid.4. The plant of claim 3, wherein the hybrid plant is broccoli hybridRS05151611, a sample of seed of said hybrid having been deposited underATCC Accession No. PTA-11943.
 5. A plant part of the plant of claim 1.6. The plant part of claim 5, further defined as a leaf, a ovule, afloret, pollen, a head, or a cell.
 7. The plant part of claim 6, furtherdefined as a cell.
 8. A broccoli plant, or a part thereof, having allthe physiological and morphological characteristics of the broccoliplant of claim
 1. 9. A broccoli plant, or a part thereof, having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the broccoli plant ofclaim
 4. 10. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of the plant ofclaim
 1. 11. The tissue culture according to claim 10, comprising cellsor protoplasts from a plant part selected from the group consisting ofembryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, roottips, pistil, flower, seed and stalks.
 12. A broccoli plant regeneratedfrom the tissue culture of claim
 11. 13. A method of vegetativelypropagating the plant of claim 1 comprising the steps of: (a) obtainingtissue capable of being propagated from a plant according to claim 1;(b) cultivating said tissue to obtain proliferated shoots; and (c)rooting said proliferated shoots to obtain rooted plantlets.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising growing plants from said rootedplantlets.
 15. A method of introducing a desired trait into a broccoliline comprising: (a) crossing a plant of line BRE51-1160SC, a sample ofseed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No.PTA-11949, with a second broccoli plant that comprises a desired traitto produce F₁ progeny; (b) selecting an F₁ progeny that comprises thedesired trait; (c) crossing the selected F₁ progeny with a plant of lineBRE51-1160SC to produce backcross progeny; and (d) repeating steps (b)and (c) three or more times to produce selected fourth or higherbackcross progeny that comprise the desired trait.
 16. A broccoli plantproduced by the method of claim
 15. 17. A method of producing a plantcomprising a transgene, the method comprising introducing a transgeneinto a plant of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 or broccoli lineBRE51-1160SC, a sample of seed of said hybrid and line having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11943 and ATCC Accession No.PTA-11949, respectively.
 18. A plant produced by the method of claim 17.19. A plant of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 or broccoli line BRE51-1160SCfurther comprising a transgene, a sample of seed of said hybrid and linehaving been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11943 and ATCCAccession No. PTA-11949, respectively.
 20. A seed that produces theplant of claim
 19. 21. A plant of broccoli hybrid RS05151611 or broccoliline BRE51-1160SC comprising a single locus conversion, a sample of seedof said hybrid and line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No.PTA-11943 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-11949, respectively.
 22. A seedthat produced the plant of claim
 21. 23. A method for producing a seedof a plant derived from hybrid RS05151611 or line BRE51-1160SCcomprising the steps of: (a) crossing a broccoli plant of hybridRS05151611 or line BRE51-1160SC with a second broccoli plant; a sampleof seed of said hybrid and line having been deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-11943 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-11949, respectively;and (b) allowing seed of a hybrid RS05151611 or lineBRE51-1160SC-derived broccoli plant to form.
 24. The method of claim 23,further comprising the steps of: (c) crossing a plant grown from saidhybrid RS05151611 or BRE51-1160SC-derived broccoli seed with itself or asecond broccoli plant to yield additional hybrid RS05151611 orBRE51-1160SC-derived broccoli seed; (d) growing said additional hybridRS05151611 or BRE51-1160SC-derived broccoli seed of step (c) to yieldadditional hybrid RS05151611 or BRE51-1160SC-derived broccoli plants;and (e) repeating the crossing and growing steps of (c) and (d) togenerate at least a first further hybrid RS05151611 orBRE51-1160SC-derived broccoli plant.
 25. The method of claim 23, whereinthe second broccoli plant is of an inbred broccoli line.
 26. The methodof claim 24, further comprising: (f) crossing the further hybridRS05151611 or BRE51-1160SC-derived broccoli plant with a second broccoliplant to produce seed of a hybrid progeny plant.
 27. A method ofproducing a broccoli plant part comprising: (a) obtaining a plantaccording to claim 1; and (b) collecting at least a first broccoli plantpart from the plant.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the plant is aplant of broccoli hybrid RS05151611, a sample of seed of said hybridRS05151611 having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11943. 29.A method of producing seed comprising crossing the plant of claim 1 withitself or a second plant.